Wrench



Feb. 21, 1939. J H THOMPSON 2,147,938

WRENCH Filed Dec. 20. 1937 x1 TTORNE Y Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WRENOH John H. Thompson, LongBeaqh, Calif. Application December 20, 1937, Serial No. 180,821

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a wrench which is adapted to a considerable variety 01' uses, being more particularly intended for filming cylindrical and annular objects. 1

An object of the invention is to provide a wrench of this kind which is particularly well adapted for being used in'a great variety of situ ations many of which will involve rea'ohing parts which it would be difficult to obtain acess to and to operate upon by most of the wrenches now on the market.

More specifically speaking, it is one of the objects of the invention to provide an improved handle means for a wrench of the kind to which the invention pertains, said handle means having at each end a shape adapting it for attachment to the head of the wrench.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and advantageous combination o1 toothed gripping heads or members which are pivoted together in such a manner that, in combination with the handle means above mentioned, a superior action of the wrench is obtained.

Astill further object of the invention is to provide improved means to cause the teeth oi the wrench to grip the object to be turned.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention may hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the tool looking at the jaw members in an edgewise manner.

Fig. 2 is a view looking at right angles to the showing of Fig. 1, the head of the tool being shown in plan as applied to a circular rod.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified wrench head.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, in Figs. 1 and 2' the gripping portion of the jaw is shown as consisting of a main or mounting jaw l having through it a central opening II which is hexagonally or otherwise shaped in such a manner as to adapt it to receive a similarly shaped portion 01' an operating handle l2, the handle shown having a short right angularly extending limb or arm l3 the end portion of which fits snugly within said opening.

Said jaw I0 is provided with external gripping teeth which are arranged in two sets with respect to their inclination, there being at one side a set of teeth l4 and at the other side of said jaw a set of teeth IS. The jaw is provided also with a lug or short arm I! which projects from the side thereof opposite to its toothed portion, said lug ll being located diametrically opposite to the meeting point 01' the two sets of teeth l4 and IS, the teeth in each of said sets being inclined toward the side of the jaw which is oppo- 5 site to said lug.

An arcuate auxiliary jaw 20 is provided one end portion of which is furnished with-bifurcations 2|, said bifurcations receiving a pivot 22 whereby this portion of the arcuate jaw is pivotally connected with the main jaw l0. Said jaw 20 is furnished with an exterior set of teeth 23 and with an interior set of teeth 24, the exterior teeth having their points directed away from the pivoted portion of the jaw, and the interior teeth being provided with points directed toward the pivoted portion thereof. The sets of teeth 23 and 24 combine to form a continuously toothed exterior for the toothed portion of said jaw 20.

The handle l2 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 has its outer end shaped the same in cross section as its opposite end in order that either end portion of the handle may be fitted within the opening of the main jaw ill, in an axial relation to said law to turn it. Stop means 25 and 26 are shown 5 to limit the extent to which either end of the handle may be inserted within the wrench head l0, also a spring pressed ball 21 is shown to steady the operation of the inserted handle.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification wherein the 30 parts are very similar to those which have been described and are therefore lettered the same with the addition of the letter a. In this view the tool is shown applied interiorly to a pipe 30 which it is desired to turn.

30 By taking out the pivot pin 22a, removing the arcuate jaw and then replacing it in the reverse position; the teeth at the right (instead of at the left) of the center of the jaw Illa as viewed in Fig. 3, will be caused to engage the interior sur- 4() tool is rotated as viewed in Fig. 2, in a left hand,

direction indicated by the arrow in said view, thereby applying the teeth l5 of the main jaw in one direction against a side of the bar and at the same time applying the internal teeth 24 of the auxiliary jaw in a reverse direction against the ill) opposite side of said bar. Owing to the arcuate shape of the auxiliary jaw its teeth will grip tighter and tighter upon the bar as the tortlonal movement advances.

A reverse action to that just described takes place in the structure shown in Fig. 3 when the wrench is applied interlorly to the pipe 30. In this case the external teeth 23a of the arcuate jaw bite into the inner surface of one side portion of the pipe 30 while the teeth Ila of the main jaw engage the opposite side of the inner surface of said pipe. The rotation of the tool in this case is in a right hand direction indicated by the arrow in said view, and the more tortional force which is applied thereto the more firmly will the teeth of the auxiliary jaw bite into the inner surface of the pipe to be turned. The wrench shown in Fig. 2 may, of course, be applied in the manner just stated, though the teeth "lb of the jaw Illa are uniformly pitched and are arranged in a single continuous series.

A coiled leaf spring 3| is shown in both embodiments of the invention, said spring being contained in a runway made up of opposite grooves 32 and 33 (Fig. 2) formed respectively in the main jaw and the arcuate jaw. Said runway is sufficiently enclosed to prevent the escape of said spring, but has a side opening between the base portion of the arcuate jaw and a shoulder 34 of the main jaw of sufficient width to allow a small instrument to be inserted to move said spring from end to end of said runway. Said spring exerts yielding pressure diametrically of its circular form, thus tending to swing the arcuate jaw inwardly when positioned as in Fig. 2, and to swing said arcuate jaw outwardly when the spring is adjusted to the opposite end of its runway, as shown in Fig. 3. Hence in Fig. 2 said spring is adjusted to cause the internal teeth 24 of the jaw 20 to grip externally an object to be turned, whereas in Fig. 3 the spring is shown adjusted to cause the external teeth of the arcuate jaw to act upon the interior of an annular object. The bottom of the groove 33 is shown as being substantially straight, but the bottom of the groove 32 is convexed, thus causing the runway for the spring 3| to be wider at its ends than in its center in order to cause said spring to remain in its adjusted positions. The stop shoulders 35 in the main jaw contract the ends or the runway for said spring and stop said spring at the desired points.

The spring member 3i (or 3la) need not be in the form of a coil, but a great variety of resilient bodies could be successfully used in this situation, and the claimed invention is not limited to the kind of spring shown.

Owing to the detachable character of the handle II, when it is desired to'reverse the direction of rotation of the toothed portion of the wrench, it is only necessary to withdraw the handle from one side of the opening provided therefor in the main wrench head and reinsert the handle into enemas the opposite side or said opening. Hence in operating the wrench it is unnecessary to provide any auxiliary means for connecting the toothed portion of the wrench with the handle portion thereof and a simpler construction results than would be the case if this was necessary.

I claim:

1. A wrench of the type described having an exteriorly toothed main jaw of a generally circular character and furnished with a radial projection, an arcuate auxiliary jaw having one of its end portions pivotally connected with said projection, said arcuate jaw having both external and internal gripping teeth, means attachable to said main jaw to turn it aboutan axis parallel to the axis of the swing of said auxiliary jaw, and a spring carried by the wrench, said spring being interposed between said jaws and being adjustable between two positions at opposite sides of said pivot connection in one of which it tends to swing said auxiliary jaw in one direction and in the other of which it tends to swing said auxiliary jaw in the reverse direction.

2. A wrench having a main jaw furnished with circularly arranged external gripping teeth, an arcuate auxiliary jaw having gripping teeth on both its convex and its concave side, said auxiliary jaw being pivotally connected with said main jaw to swing in relation thereto, and a resilient body, there being grooves in adjacent portions of said jaws which cooperate to form a runway wherein said resilient body is confined under compression, said body being interposed between said jaws and being adjustable along said runway between two positions at opposite sides of said pivot and when in one of said positions in said runway tending to swing said auxiliary jaw towards said main jaw and when in the other of said positions tending to swing said auxiliary jaw away from said main jaw.

3. The subject matter of claim 2 and, said runway having wldened end portions aiding to retain said resilient body in its aforesaid adjusted positions.

4. A wrench of the type described having an exteriorly toothed main jaw of a generally circular character and furnished with a radial projection, an arcuate jaw having one of its end portions pivotally connected in a removable, re-

versible manner with said projection, said arcuate jaw having gripping teeth on its convex portion, a handle means axially connectable with said main jaw to turn said jaw in relation to said arcuate jaw, the toothed portion of said main jaw occupying a suflicient portion of its periphery to cooperate with the exterior teeth of said arcuate jaw for interior gripping of annular objects in both of its attached positions afforded by the aforesaid reversible attachment thereof, and resilient means mounted upon the wrench to urge said arcuate jaw toward its gripping position for both internal and external gripping operations. JOHN H. THOMPSON. 

